Hurricane Ian forces NASA to delay moon launch again
NASA’s new massive moon rocket will be towed into its hangar for hurricane shelter, the US space agency said Monday, September 26. Operation indefinitely postpones the launch of the long-awaited Artemis-1 mission, which has been postponed several times. NASA officials “We met Monday morning and made this decision based on the latest forecast for Hurricane Ian.”the agency wrote in Blog post.
The rocket, which has a height of 98 meters, is currently on the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The complex maneuver to bring it back to the giant assembly building, a few kilometers away, should begin at 11 pm (5 am in France). The rocket will be moved on a huge platform that rolls very slowly to avoid vibrations that could damage it as much as possible.
After reviewing the #Ian forecast, we will be returning our #Artemis I vehicle to the Vehicle Assembly Building to… https://t.co/mr68Yz1eNB
Regard “good decision” Until the difference and the missile remain “in protection”Jim Free, associate administrator at NASA, tweeted. Hurricane Ian, currently south of Cuba, is expected to move to Florida later this week through the Gulf of Mexico.
No new date mentioned
But there will be no time now to eject the rocket before the end of the current launch period, which lasts until October 4. NASA has not given any indication of a future launch date.
The next launch period will run from October 17 to 31, with one takeoff possible per day (except for October 24, 25, 26 and 28). Then it will be from November 12 to 27 (excluding the 20th, 21st and 26th days of the month). After two really last-minute takeoff attempts were canceled a few weeks ago, notably due to a fuel leak while filling the rocket’s tanks, this new setback is very unwelcome for NASA.
Fifty years after the last Apollo mission, Artemis-1 should be used to verify that the Orion capsule, located on top of the rocket, is safe to carry a crew to the moon in the future.
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